Signal-bell for railroad service.



E. W. VOGEL.

SIGNAL BELL FOB RAILROAD SERVICE.

APPLICATION men MAY 18, 1914.

Patented June 12, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES:

E. W. VOGEL.

SIGNAL BELL FOR RAILROAD SERVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, I914.

I; y%%9y@%9m v Patented J une 12, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. '2

- WITNESSES.-

A TTORNE TED s ATES EUGENE W. VOGEL, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TCHICAGO RAILWAY SIGNAL AND SUPPLY "COMPANY, OF CARPENTERSVILLE,ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SIGNAL-BELL FOR RAILROAD SERVICE.

Patented June 12, 1917.

Application filed May 18, 1914. Serial No. 839,463.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, EUGENE 1V. VosnL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal-Bells forRailroad Service, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an electrically operated signal bell forrailroad and like service, and the invention has for its object toprovide a novel and improved device of this type which will be compact,reliable in its operation, durable, inexpensive to manufacture, and soconstructed that the operating mechanism housed and protected againstinjury from rain, dust, insects, and the like.

The invention has for further objects such other new and improvedconstructions, arrangements and devices in railway signaling bells aswill be hereinafter described and claimed. a

The inventionis illustrated, in :a preferred embodiment, in theaccompanying drawings wherein- Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sectionalviews of the apparatus taken at right angles one to the other.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in both figures of thedrawings.

Referring to the drawings, designates a casing preferably formed with asocket 11 by means of which it may be mounted on the post 12. The casingis in the form of a box which is closed on all sides except for a dooropening, 13, covered by a door 141; a gasket 15 being preferablyinterposed between the door and the casing and the door being formedwith a circumferential rib 16 which overlaps a rib 17 on the casing. Onthe top member 18 of the casing is a preferably integral frame 19 towhich the bell 20 is socured by means of the screw 21. The casing isformed with an upstanding flange 22 which comes up close to the bell.The clapper 23 of the bell is ai'fixed to a rocking member 24 pivoted ona pin 25 between bosses 26 and 27 formed on the frame 19. The rockingmember is operated by a rod 28 which passes through agland 29 in the topmember 18 of the casing and is connected with the rocking member bymeans of the connecting piece 30. The operating rod 28 is provided witha weight 31 aliixed thereto by a set screw 33. The lower extremity ofthe rod is formed with a fork 3% in which is mounted an anti-frictionroller 35 adapted to be engaged by a cam 36 keyed to a shaft 37supported by standards 38 on the base plate 39 which rests upon thebottom of the casing 10. The cam 36 is rotated by means of a motor 40,the armature shaft of which is provided with a gear 41 and meshes withthe first gear 42 of a reducing train comprising also a gear 43 on thesame shaft 14: with gear 42, and a gear 45 keyed to the shaft 37. Themotor is removably secured to the base plate 39 by screws 4-6. A buffer,in the form preferably of a rubber washer, 17, is arranged on the top ofthe casing surrounding the operating rod 28. The function of the bufferis to arrest the downward movement of the weighted rod 28 before theanti-friction roller comes into contact with cam 36. The upper plate 18of the casing is preferably formed with a channel or water drain 18terminating in an outlet 49 through the side of the casing. The drain 18is preferably disposed beneath the clapper and eX- tends in the path oftravel. thereof. This construction provides suitable clearance betweenthe partition 18 and the clapper and also permits the clapper arm to bemade long enough to bring the clapper 23 in contact with the outer edgeof the bell without increasing the height of the flange 22 of the casmg.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the motor 10 is set inoperation, which may be by any suitable apparatus actuated by the wheelsof the train, or otherwise, the cam 36 is revolved at relatively slowspeed, raising the weighted rod 28. This moves the clapper 23 away fromthe bell 20. The arrow in Fig. 1 shows the direction of retation of thecam. When the roller 35 at the end of the weighted rod, rides over thepoint 50 of the cam 36 the weight 31 throws the clapper against thebell, that is, to the dotted line position of'Fig. 1. The weight comesinto contact with the buffer l7 before the roller 25 touches the lowpoint 51 of the cam. Otherwise the shock of the parts would injure themechanism. The further rotation of the cam brings it again into contactwith the roller. This operation continues so long as the motor isenergized. By using a motor to operate the bell the device may be usedeither on an alternating ourrent circuit or a direct current circuit bythe employment of a motor of the appropriate sort. The motor is readilyremovable so that a substitution may be made when it is desired toconvert a given device to, use in connection with the other sort ofcurrent. The apparatus is so constructed that the part of the operatingmechanism likely to I to, the bell, the chance of water reaching thegland 29 is minimized. If any water does get in between the bell and theflange 22 provision is made for discharging it by means of the drainchannel 48. The striking movement of the clapper is effected by gravityand while the driving mechanism is disconnected from the weightedelement through the agency of which the clapper is caused to strike itsblow. a loudsound may be produced since the weight 31 may be made heavy.The func-, tion of the motor is simply to raise the weight, which isaccomplished gradually through the reducing train and cam 36.

While I have described my invention in a certain preferred embodiment,modifications might be made without departure from the principles of theinvention- Therefore I do not wish to be understood as limiting theinvention to the exact constructions, arrangements and devices shown anddescribed except so far as the same are made specifically limitations incertain of the claims herein.

I claim:

o 1. In a signaling apparatus for railroad or like service, thecombination with a closed casing, the top of which is formed with agland, of a bell supported on said casing, a rocking member pivotallymounted within the bell, a clapper secured to said rocking member,mechanism within said casing for operating the clapper comprising aweighted vertically operating rod whichis connected to said rockingmember and extends through the gland in the top of the casing; and thetop of the casing being formed with a downwardly inclined drain channelin the path of travel of said clapper.

2. In a signaling apparatus for railroad or like service, thecombination with a closed casing, the top of which is formed with agland, of a bell supported on said casing, a

clapper pivotally mounted within thebell,

mechanism within said casing for operatin the clapper comprising anoperating rod which extends through the gland inthe top The door openingis made tight,

For this reason of the casing; the top'of said casing being posedbeneath the clapperand extending in the path of travel thereof.

3. In a signaling apparatus for railroad or like service, thecombination with a closed casing, the top of which is formed with agland, of a bell supported onsaid casing, a clapper pivotally mountedwithin said bell, an operating rod which extends through said gland, acam, and mechanism for rotating the same within said casing, a weight onthe end of the operating rod outside of the casing, and a buffer on thetop of the casing'surrounding saidrod, against which the weightstrikeson its down stroke so, as to arrest the movement of the operatingrod before coming into contact with said cam.

4. In a signaling apparatus for railroad or like service, thecombination with a closed casing, the top of which is formed with agland, with upstanding flanges and with a drain channel, of a supportingframe on the top of said casing, a bell secured to said supporting frameso that it comes close to said flange, a rocking element mounted on saidframe, a clapper aflixed to said rocking element, an operatingv rodextending through said gland, means for connecting the same to saidrocking element, a weight on said operating rod, a cam in said casingadapted to intermittently raise and release said operating rod, anelectric motor in said casing, a train of reducing gears adaptedto'drive said cam from said motor, and a buffer on the top of saidcasing surrounding said operating rod against which the weight strikes,

on the down stroke of the rod, so as to prevent the end of saidoperating rod from coming into contact with said cam.

5. In a railway signal bell the combination of a casing provided with adoor an electric motor, a revoluble cam having a curved cam surface lessthan a complete circle, and a train of gears between the motor and thecam, all completely housedtin and bell when said roller rides off saidcam surface. V

EUGENE W. VOGEL.

Witnesses:

L. A. FALKENBERG, G. Y. SKINNER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. i

